Jason gets a Fail

The moral of today's blog is that sometimes it's easy to find complicated solutions to simple problems. As is often the case when this sort of thing comes up, I am stuck playing the role of protagonist in today's story.



On Saturday, I decided to change the filters and fluids in the big tractor in preparation for cooler weather. Due to the generally poor quality of local off road diesel, I am always concerned about the state of the sediment trap and fuel filter. Despite a recommended service interval of upwards of a hundred hours, I never go that long, especially in the fall with cooler weather coming. In spite of the fact that the filter and trap looked clean, I serviced them and replaced the filter. Of course, after getting the whole works done, the tractor didn't want to start, and despite a LOT of fiddling, cleaning and taking apart, even when I did get it started it didn't want to run properly. For those who are interested in reading the gory details, please have a look at my most recent blog post in "Random Musings of a Farmer". Suffice it to say the entire episode was epic; it FILLED the weekend, and it was also an epic fail on my part.



Fast forward to today. My eventual solution, after two days of trying was to throw up my hands and call my friend Tim, who, it is widely claimed, is the best tractor mechanic in Middle Tennessee. I met Tim as I was pulling out the front gate this morning. By the time I got turned around and back up the driveway and dealt with a very minor problem in the barn...we're talking moments here, he had the problem diagnosed and was working on a solution.



He spent longer talking, or more accurately, poking fun at me afterward than he did fixing the (damn) tractor. Turns out it was a rotten grommet making a bad seal on a line I had already taken off, cleaned, and put back on. Of course, Tim thought this was incredibly funny. Me.....not so much.

Darby, Ogie and B-Rad

Fuzzy Punch

Clay

Murphy and Justin

Romeo, Gus and Winston

Elfin, Thomas, and Leo

Grand and Hemi

Homer was napping over the fence complete with drooping lower lip

Thomas

Noble and Spike having a grooming session